Sarah Evans has been practicing law in San Diego since 2000, primarily working on employment law matters. Sarah regularly provides employment law advice to local employers to assist their compliance with all applicable statutes and regulations. She counsels employers on critical issues, including preventing harassment and hostile work environment claims, wage and hour compliance, and disciplinary actions.

Sarah is also a litigation attorney, defending lawsuits and claims filed by individual employees and also regularly defends clients in class and representative action cases involving employment and wage issues. Sarah is co-author of the employment law chapter in all three editions of “A Practitioner’s Guide to Class Actions” published by the American Bar Association.

Sarah is active in the local community, handling leadership and operational roles during the recent merger of the Friends of Balboa Park and the Balboa Park Conservancy. The merger created Forever Balboa Park, and Sarah served as the organization's first co-chair and now leads its diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility working group. She previously held leadership roles in the Lawyers Club of San Diego, Border View Family YMCA, and Crawford High School Law Academy, among others. For her community involvement, Sarah was named California’s 40th Senate District's Woman of the Year in 2019 and named a Woman of Influence in Law in 2022 by the San Diego Business Journal.

From a small town in Kentucky, Sarah and her husband spend their free time enjoying Bonita and surrounding areas with their two school age sons.

• University of Southern California (B.A., 1997)
• Notre Dame Law School (J.D., 2000)

• California Women Lawyers
• Lawyers Club of San Diego
• San Diego County Bar Association
• State Bar of California

• Super Lawyer, 2023, Super Lawyers
• 40th Senate District's Woman of the Year
• Named to the San Diego Business Journal's "Women of Influence in Law" in 2022 and "Best of the Bar" multiple times
• Named to the San Diego Daily Transcript's list of "Top Young Attorneys"
• Named a Top 40 Under 40, San Diego Brightest Young Leaders, by the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine

• Forever Balboa Park Board of Trustees member; board Co-Chair for 2021 fiscal year; current diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility working group chair
• Former Friends of Balboa Park Board of Directors member, Vice Chair 2019 to 2021, Chair 2021 to merger with Balboa Park Conservancy in July 2021
• Former Border View Family YMCA board member and board chair 2015-2019
• Former YMCA of San Diego County Human Resources Committee member
• Former Crawford High School Academy of Law board of directors member
• Former South County Economic Development Council’s Workforce and Education Committee member
• Former Lawyers Club of San Diego board of directors member, including one year as vice president

3.30.23

We are proud to announce three of our attorneys have been selected as top outstanding lawyers in San Diego County by Super Lawyers!

• Partner Dick Semerdjian named a 2023 San Diego Super Lawyer in the area of Business Litigation for the sixteenth straight year.
• Partner Sarah Evans named a 2023 San Diego Super Lawyer in the area of Employment & Labor.
• Partner John Schena named a 2023 San Diego Super Lawyer in the area of Business Litigation for the fifth straight year.

The San Diego Super Lawyers selection process involves a multi-phase selection process which includes nominations, independent third-party research, peer evaluations and final selection.

Congratulations, Dick, Sarah and John!

10.27.22

We are proud to announce that Sarah Evans has been selected among the Top 100 Leaders in Law by the San Diego Business Journal! Sarah has been practicing law since 2000, primarily focusing on employment law. She is also a litigation attorney, defending lawsuits and claims filed by individual employees. She is also very active in the community, handling leadership and operational roles during the recent merger of two Balboa Park organizations creating Forever Balboa Park and serving as the organization's first co-chair. Congrats on a well deserved honor! 

6.20.22

Congratulations to partner Sarah Evans on being selected a Woman of Influence in Law Top 50 by the San Diego Business Journal! Sarah’s practices primarily employment law, defending lawsuits and claims filed by individual employees. She is also very active in the community, handling leadership and operational roles during the recent merger of two Balboa Park organizations creating Forever Balboa Park and serving as the organization's first co-chair. Kudos, Sarah, on this well-deserved honor!

3.25.21

Partner Sarah Evans is chair of nonprofit Friends of Balboa Park, and has been at the helm of merger discussions with the Balboa Park Conservancy for many months. The two organizations are slated to merge effective July 1 to leverage each organization’s strengths, combine resources and expertise, as well as enhance support for Balboa Park through fundraising, advocacy, projects and programs. Sarah was quoted in today's UT discussing the topic, read more.

1.19.21

Partner Sarah Evans will be a panelist on Strafford Webinars, "Discovery Requests in Employment Litigation" on January 21st. This CLE webinar will guide employment litigators in drafting discovery requests that are likely to survive heightened judicial scrutiny under Rule 26(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The panel will also discuss strategies for objecting to discovery requests that are overly burdensome in a specific manner and producing documents and electronically stored information (ESI) in a timely manner as required by amended Rule 34(b).

9.28.20

Schwartz Semerdjian congratulates partner Sarah Evans for being named to the San Diego Business Journal's inaugural "Women in Law." We are proud of Sarah's dedication to the legal profession and her exemplary leadership in the community at large. Congratulations, Sarah! 

6.24.20

Schwartz Semerdjian's own, Sarah Evans, and her article, "Finding My Voice as a Female Litigator," are featured in the May/June 2020 issue of the San Diego County Bar Association's Journal, San Diego Lawyer, highlighting Women in Law. Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your story, sharing your voice. Schwartz Semerdjian is delighted to share in the journey and successes of our female litigators. 

6.1.20

We are pleased to announce the addition of Sarah Evans as a named partner of the firm and our name change to Schwartz Semerdjian Cauley & Evans (SSCE) effective June 1, 2020.

“The firm’s name change recognizes Sarah’s significant contributions to the firm, our clients, the legal community and community at large,” said SSCE Managing Partner Ross Schwartz. “Sarah is dynamic, engaging and approachable to all who work with her, and we are fortunate to have her in a new leadership role at the firm.”

Sarah has been practicing law in San Diego since 2000, primarily working on employment law matters.  She regularly works to ensure employer compliance with applicable statutes and regulations, as well as provides insightful guidance to employers on critical issues, including preventing harassment and hostile work environment claims, wage and hourly compliance, and disciplinary actions.

Sarah is also a litigation attorney, defending lawsuits and claims filed by individual employees and defending clients in class action cases involving employment and wage issues. She is co-author of the employment law chapter in the first two and the upcoming third edition of “A Practitioner’s Guide to Class Actions,” published by the American Bar Association.

“Sarah is a highly regarded attorney, and we are thrilled to see her role evolve as the firm continues to grow,” said SSCE Founding Partner Dick Semerdjian. “We pride ourselves on diligence not only in law and serving our clients, but in the communities where we live and work, and no one exemplifies that more than Sarah.”

In addition to her work at the firm, Sarah has served in leadership roles in the Lawyers Club of San Diego, Border View Family YMCA, and Friends of Balboa Park, among others. She has received numerous accolades over the years, including being named California’s 40th Senate District's Woman of the Year in 2019, San Diego Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” multiple times, San Diego Daily Transcript list of “Top Young Attorneys,” and a San Diego Metropolitan Magazine “Top 40 Under 40” honoree.

Sarah obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Southern California, and her Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School. She resides in Bonita, CA, with her husband and their two school age sons.

Congratulations, Sarah!

6.13.19

On June 20, 2019, Schwartz Semerdjian partner Sarah Evans will present "Is Your Employee Handbook Ironclad?" to the Associated Subcontractors Alliance.  Sarah will speak to mandatory, recommended, and optional policies to include in your handbook; common mistakes employers make in their handbooks and how to avoid them; and how to be certain your policies and procedures comply with California's new harassment-prevention laws that require all employers with five or more employees to train all workers. Click here for the seminar flyer.

1.22.19

Schwartz Semerdjian partner Sarah Evans begins her two-year term as vice chair of the Friends of Balboa Park’s board of directors. The nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and enhance the park for future generations, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, during which Sarah will also serve as chair of its governance committee. For more information about the Friends and their latest projects, visit www.FriendsofBalboaPark.org.

3.24.18

Schwartz Semerdjian partner Sarah Evans will participate as a judge for the McLennon Honors Moot Court Competition hosted by the USD School of Law and the Appellate Moot Court Board. The McLennon Tournament provides USD law students the opportunity to hone their oral argument skills and master new areas of the law. This type of competition provides future lawyers with the practice and experience needed to develop effective oral advocacy skills.

3.12.18

Senator Ben Hueso honored Sarah Brite Evans as the 40th Senate District's Woman of the Year at a luncheon and Senate floor ceremony at the State Capitol today.  According to Senator Hueso, “Sarah is a true asset to our district. She moves seamlessly between her professional role as one of San Diego Business Journal's ‘Best of the Bar’, to her civic responsibilities, where she serves as Chair of the Board of Management for the Border View YMCA. Please join me in thanking Sarah for all that she has done, and continues to do, to strengthen our community.” Congratulations, Sarah!

11.28.17

“A Practitioner’s Guide to Class Actions," second edition, is now available from the American Bar Association. Schwartz Semerdjian partner Sarah Evans and associate Kristen Bush authored the “Employment Cases” chapter about class and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Pay Act, and statutes prohibiting employment discrimination. You can order your copy of the two-volume set online at the American Bar Association book store. A Kindle edition will also be available soon.

10.3.17

Schwartz Semerdjian partner Sarah Evans was unanimously elected to Friends of Balboa Park Board of Directors. Congratulations, Sarah! We are so proud.

The Friends of Balboa Park was born out of the same commitment to civic-minded philanthropy that motivated San Diego’s leaders in the early part of the last century. Founded in 1999 by a group of longtime park volunteers, the Friends of Balboa Park is dedicated to Balboa Park as a whole, initiating park-wide projects that transcend individual institutions and address human-scale needs.

Friends of Balboa Park's vision is measured in acres and decades, manifested in activities that honor Balboa Park’s celebrated past, enhance its current place in the life of San Diego, improve access and lay the groundwork for a secure future. Friends of Balboa Park's greatest successes are not always the most conspicuous: quietly identifying and meeting a need, seamlessly integrating a new feature into a historic setting, partnering with other organizations and public agencies to raise the park’s profile and give its interests a voice in city government.

9.13.17

Schwartz Semerdjian partner Sarah Evans is presenting today The Ins & Outs of an Employee Handbook, along with presenter Andrea Morgan, Human Resources Consultant with BBSI. The program is hosted by the Associated Subcontractors Alliance (ASA). Click here for event information and registration.

4.4.17

Partner Sarah Evans has been recognized by her peers and named to the San Diego Business Journal Best of the Bar 2017. On April 10, 2017, the publication will showcase the top San Diego attorneys in private practice as nominated by their peers. Sarah specializes in employment law and business & commercial litigation. Congratulations, Sarah!

2.17.17

Target and playground equipment manufacturer KaBOOM! recently granted Border View Family YMCA an “Imagination Playground in a Cart”.  Schwartz Semerdjian partner/Border View board chair Sarah Evans attended the February 17th playground unveiling with her children.  Imagination Playground in a Cart is an innovative design in play equipment that encourages creativity, communication and collaboration in play, and children in the surrounding neighborhood are sure to have lots of fun times with this new equipment. 

9.30.16

Schwartz Semerdjian partners John Moot and Sarah Evans will join a variety of firm clients and contacts at the South County Economic Development Council's 26th Annual Economic Summit at the San Diego Convention Center.  For the past several years, Schwartz Semerdjian has sponsored a table at the summit, which brings together border region political and economic leaders to discuss common issues and celebrate award-winning work in San Diego's South Bay.

3.2.16

Schwartz Semerdjian client Sweetwater Union High School District Prevails in Contractors' Appeal on ‘Free Speech’ Gifts Ruling - California's Fourth District Court of Appeals recently published its opinion in the Sweetwater Union High School District's case handled by Schwartz Semerdjian attorneys John Moot, Sarah Evans and Kristen Bush.  As is described in the attached article from the Union-Tribune, "Jersey Boys" tickets, lavish meals, and free trips were among the gifts lavished on Sweetwater officials by contractors, who contend that the entertainment was a form of free speech.  The San Diego appeals court disagreed, and the ruling by the 4th District Court of Appeal affirmed a decision by San Diego Superior Court Judge Sturgeon in December 2014, in a case filed by Sweetwater Union High School District against construction contractors Gilbane and The Seville Group. The district is trying to recover millions of dollars it paid to the companies for a series of school building projects. Link to published opinion of California’s 4th District Court of Appeal.  Link to the full March 2, 2016 Union Tribune article.